# What Happens to You if You Get Caught With Presciptions Drugs Crossing the Border **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559 "2001-01-24T15:59:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tsunamisurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/21 "2001-01-25T17:06:32Z")
RE: “If you don’t want to go to Sanborn’s, there are other professional farmácias with normal amenities such as interior climate control. The whole country’s not backwards despite the movies we see.” * * * Sanborn’s??? I love Sanborn’s! Great food and a classy department store. Nothing like a margarita and enchiladas at one of their outdoor tables on a cool spring afternoon! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/22 "2001-01-26T04:07:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tsunamisurfer \* > \*\*RE: “If you don’t want to go to Sanborn’s, there are other professional farmácias with normal amenities such as interior climate control. The whole country’s not backwards despite the movies we see.” > > * * * > > Sanborn’s??? I love Sanborn’s! Great food and a classy department store. Nothing like a margarita and enchiladas at one of their outdoor tables on a cool spring afternoon! > \*\* It’s one of my favorite places to eat when I want Mexican-ish style food in an American-ish style (except for the uniforms) restaurant. The only thing that bugs me is that they’ve picked up the nasty American habit of making you stand in a line near the exit to settle the cuenta. Really! That’s NOT good service! ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/23 "2001-01-26T08:05:40Z")
My friend gets painkillers here in the good ol’ USA. She calls Dr. Bryson (830-257 6723) tells him she’s in pain, he writes her a 100 count 'script of the painkiller of her choice, with 4 (!) refills all for a $100.oo ‘counsultation’ fee. All perfectly legal and safe. And you get US drugs and don’t have to go to Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/24 "2001-01-26T19:33:54Z")
THAT’S what I’m talking about. But for future reference, probably not a good idea to post the doctor’s name & phone number here, as I am not positive what you describe is 100% legal OR safe. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/25 "2001-01-26T19:54:20Z")
Well, FWIW, the good Dr. does advertise. So he puts his own name and address out there. And as far as I can determine it is legal. Why wouldn’t it be safe? ---
**Author:** ![tsunamisurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/26 "2001-01-26T20:16:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by warmgun \* > \*\*Well, FWIW, the good Dr. does advertise. So he puts his own name and address out there. And as far as I can determine it is legal. Why wouldn’t it be safe? > \*\* Something tells me the good doctor’s medical career will be coming to an end rather shortly. Either that, or he’s a harbinger of 21st century medical care. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2001, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559/27 "2001-01-27T20:35:45Z")
I was thinking along the lines of what constitutes “under the direct care of a physician” with regards to controlled substances. The situation you describe could backfire if a patient requested and subsequently became addicted to certain drugs. The doctor might then have to answer some uncomfortable questions about telephone consultations vs. office visits. Could such a physician somehow be held responsible for a patient overdose, if it could be determined that they had gotten the pills in the way you describe? It may be merely an ethical dilemma, rather than a legal one. Prescription by “patient choice” could be serious, depending on the drugs requested. Granted, I was the first to mention this practice as it applied to allergy medication. But Claritin and say, Percodan, are two very different things, as are office visits (where the determination is made by the physician) vs. telephone consultations (where the determination is made by the patient). Just a thought. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-you-if-you-get-caught-with-presciptions-drugs-crossing-the-border/51559.md?page=1)